Opinions on subjects of the day mainly as it pertains to common sense suggestions in improving the quality of life of all who are fortunate to live in this serendipitous island of Sri Lanka.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

What would our politics be if the 2M disenfranchised citizens overseas had a vote?

There are approximately 2M Sri Lankan
citizens who are living and working overseas. Just a few of them about 5% are
currently minors, under the 18 year voting age, but the vast majority would be
eligible to vote if they were living and registered to vote in Sri Lanka. There
currently is NO intention of either of the main parties to include them in the
voting register, at least for that of the President.

Sri Lanka has one of the highest
percentages of citizens of one country who live overseas. They currently
contribute approximately US$8Billion to the Sri Lanka economy directly through
the banking system and outside of it. Therefore they form a disproportionately high
economically active section of the population who SADLY DO NOT have a say in
who gets elected to the most powerful position in this Country. Just imagine
how different our future, let alone our history may have been if that were the
case!! After all in a heavily politicized country, the person at the helm has a
hugely disproportionate influence in how the country’s wealth is wasted. There
is no one currently living except for the leaders themselves who question that
the waste is of historically humongous proportions!!!!

I believe the citizens who go overseas
are the most enterprising and risk taking people we have, and who are able to
use what skills, god has given them and acquired both at home and overseas for
their personal benefit. I believe someone who benefits themselves first is
someone the nation MUST value, as it is that individual who can help the nation
benefit as much if not more, and we need to find a way to cultivate that talent
for the benefit of this country.

As someone who wakes up everyday wondering
how I could make a positive difference to this country, who after 33 years
overseas decided it was time I came to my country to do whatever I can to
assist it in a positive way feel I am very fortunate in being able to do my
part.

I have shown in my own limited way what
I can do, question some of the behavior of people within Sri Lanka and have
suggested ways of improving the way we live, do business, educate, care for,
treat patients and improve governance here in Sri Lanka in www.kalapanakaranna.blogspot.com.

If not for a wasted accident caused by
the Cabinet Minister of Justice, in January 2011, who accepts full blame, where
I was completely disabled and my whole vocation destroyed, I would have been
able to finish where I started, however we do not have complete control over
our destiny and this is an example of how badly the powers of this country
abuse their authority against the interests of Sri Lanka, in case someone was
looking around to find fault with the way this administration behaves!!!!

Anyway I have been able to put my disability
aside as something I have to live with which has not received any compensation
from the uncaring state apparatus that caused it. I have had to change what I
am doing to work in the opposition as a Secretary to a Member of Parliament to
do whatever we can in Social Service and use my knowledge and skills to assist
him in empowering our youth to rise from the depths to which this
administration is bent on taking this country to one of a new plan full of hope
and enterprise, looking beyond the petty and greedy administration which while
it is cheating the people by misinformation on what it is engaged in is
actually engaged in daylight robbery of especially the huge funds earned and
brought by these aforesaid 2 million productive workers.

It is therefore just a matter of simple
deduction, that no one would like their life-savings being destroyed by an
administration for personal greed and would like to have a say in how the
massive foreign exchange that they remit is spent.

It is to these people that I address
these comments as they form a large portion of my readership. Please have faith
in us we will do our utmost to give you your vote, as that is the right thing
to do. There are no ifs and buts. Our embassies have the capacity to do so, and
we will use the latest voting techniques including the electronic voting
procedures as well as the internet to garner your support and ensure that there
is justice and fair play in giving you a say in the affairs of your country.

I with years of work overseas, putting up with the numerous hardships, which I was
able to overcome, have a spirit that most of you overseas have, in order to make
a change for the better in Sri Lanka, with many of the worst excesses being committed
in the name of politics by politicians. You will then be able to effect change in
this mentality as they will HEED your advice also and not waste your money and ensure
you obtain a fair reward for your labor and safeguard your savings once you return,
be it in the form of say, housing education or other investments in the financial
sector or elsewhere.

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

seriously kalapanakaranna, we need a comprehensive vision from your side about the country inclusive of economic, political, cultural, and security issues as this is all sounding like hollow political pandering...

in the end, people want creative solutions and moreso verifiable results, not just more hot air

nice initiative, but distinctions need to be made in the intentions of the migrants, with those that show intention to return to sri lanka granted sufferage but with those that for the most part intend to assimilate into other societies not granted sufferage, as individuals should participate in the political life of their chosen countries which they use their skills to develop.

therefore the migrant workers that are going to the middle east and asia are likely to be voters, but those that choose Western countries obviously are higher skilled and are using their valuable skills in the service of rogue societies, at the expense of their native society.